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of them saved them. He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their corruptions. Let them confess to the Lord his mercies, and his wonderful works to the children of men. And let them sacrifice to him a sacrifice of praise, and declare his works with rejoicing, they who go down to the sea in ships, doing business in many waters. The Word, having mentioned the arrival of the Redeemer and Savior, through whom all the things foretold have been accomplished, next connects the prophecy concerning his apostles. For they were the ones who went down to the sea in ships, expressly and literally; just as, therefore, the divine Scripture of the Gospels testifies. Therefore, the present prophecy has very appropriately connected the memory of the apostles and those with them to the presence of the Word of God among men. To these very ones, therefore, he also exhorted to perform the new mysteries of the New Covenant, saying: And let them sacrifice a sacrifice of praise, and declare his works with rejoicing. He spoke, and a stormy wind arose, and its waves were lifted up. They go up to the heavens and go down to the depths, their soul melted in troubles. They were troubled, they were shaken like a drunkard, and all their wisdom was swallowed up. And they cried to the Lord in their affliction, and he brought them out of their distresses. And he rebuked the storm, and it became a breeze, and its waves were silent. These things, divinely prophesied, were fulfilled expressly and to the letter; for when the disciples of our Savior were sailing with him, a great tempest, it says, arose in the sea, so that the boat was covered by the waves. And falling before him they said to him: Lord, save us, we are perishing. But he, having said to them: Why are you fearful, O you of little faith?, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. And let them rejoice, because they were quieted, and he guided them to the harbor of his will. Let them confess to the Lord his mercies, and his wonderful works to the children of men. Let them exalt him in the church of the people, and in the seat of the elders let them praise him. Having been guided to the harbor of his will; for which things the word necessarily commands for a fourth time thus to confess to the Lord, and to bring forth his mercies by mouth; and it enjoins all the children of men to declare his wonderful works. He turned rivers into a wilderness, and the springs of waters into thirst, a fruitful land into saltiness from the wickedness of those dwelling in it. 23.1328 He turned a desert into pools of water, a waterless land into springs of water. And he settled the hungry there, and they established cities for habitation. And they sowed fields and planted vineyards, and they made fruit of the harvest. And he blessed them and they were multiplied greatly, and he did not diminish their cattle. And they were diminished and afflicted from the oppression of evils and sorrow. Contempt was poured out upon their rulers, and he made them wander in a trackless place, and not a road. For the multitude of the Jewish nation he drove into such a scarcity of good things, that few were found among them who were pleasing to God. And the whole nation endured this prophecy; but their rulers, certain patriarchs and high priests and teachers of the law, both Sadducees and Scribes and Pharisees, were covered with shame, having been delivered over to contempt; since, indeed, having been called to the straight way they refused it. And he helped the poor out of poverty. And in these things Symmachus, as usual, rendered it saying: And he will fortify the poor from affliction. For those, he says, will have the things foretold; but the poor people he will fortify; that is, the people to be gathered from the nations; whom also our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ, blessing, said: Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. And

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αὐτῶν ἔσωσεν αὐτούς. Ἀπέστειλε τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἰάσατο αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐῤῥύσατο αὐτοὺς ἐκ τῶν διαφθορῶν αὐτῶν. Ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Καὶ θυσάτωσαν αὐτῷ θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, καὶ ἐξαγγειλάτωσαν τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς θάλασσαν ἐν πλοίοις, ποιοῦντες ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς. Μνημονεύσας ὁ λόγος τῆς ἀφίξεως τοῦ Λυτρωτοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος, δι' οὗ τὰ προλεγόμενα πάντα κατώρθωται, ἑξῆς συνάπτει τὴν περὶ τῶν ἀποστόλων αὐτοῦ προφητείαν. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἦσαν οἱ καταβαίνοντες εἰς θάλασσαν ἐν πλοίοις, ῥητῶς καὶ κατὰ λέξιν· ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ θεία Γραφὴ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων μαρτυρεῖ. Τοιγαροῦν τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ τῶν ἅμα αὐτοῖς ἡ παροῦσα προφητεία τὴν μνήμην σφόδρα ἀκολούθως συνῆψε τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου εἰς ἀνθρώπους παρουσίᾳ. Αὐτοῖς τοιγαροῦν τούτοις καὶ τὰ νέα μυστήρια τῆς Καινῆς ∆ιαθήκης πράττειν παρεκελεύετο, λέγων· Καὶ θυσάτωσαν θυσίαν αἰνέσεως, καὶ ἐξαγγειλάτωσαν τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει. Εἶπε, καὶ ἔστη πνεῦμα καταιγίδος, καὶ ὑψώθη τὰ κύματα αὐτῆς. Ἀναβαίνουσιν ἕως τῶν οὐρανῶν καὶ καταβαίνουσιν ἕως τῶν ἀβύσσων, ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν ἐν κακοῖς ἐτήκετο. Ἐταράχθησαν, ἐσαλεύθησαν ὡς ὁ μεθύων, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ σοφία αὐτῶν κατεπόθη. Καὶ ἐκέκραξαν πρὸς Κύριον ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἀναγκῶν αὐτῶν ἐξήγαγεν αὐτούς. Καὶ ἐπάταξε τῇ καταιγίδι, καὶ ἔστη εἰς αὔραν, καὶ ἐσίγησαν τὰ κύματα αὐτῆς. Ταῦτα προφητικῶς θεσπιζόμενα ἐπληροῦτο ῥητῶς καὶ πρὸς λέξιν· τῶν γὰρ μαθητῶν τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν ἐμπλεόντων σὺν αὐτῷ, σεισμὸς, φησὶν, ἐγένετο μέγας ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, ὥστε τὸ πλοῖον καλύπτεσθαι ὑπὸ τῶν κυμάτων. Οἱ δὲ προσπεσόντες εἶπον αὐτῷ· Κύριε, σῶσον ἡμᾶς, ἀπολλύμεθα. Ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς φήσας· Τί δειλοί ἐστε, ὀλιγόπιστοι; ἐπετίμησε τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῇ θαλάσσῃ, καὶ ἐγένετο γαλήνη μεγάλη. Καὶ εὐφρανθήτωσαν, ὅτι ἡσύχασαν, καὶ ὡδήγησεν αὐτοὺς εἰς λιμένα θελήματος αὐτοῦ. Ἐξομολογησάσθωσαν τῷ Κυρίῳ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὑψωσάτωσαν αὐτὸν ἐν ἐκκλησίᾳ λαοῦ, καὶ ἐν καθέδρᾳ πρεσβυτέρων αἰνεσάτωσαν αὐτόν. Ὁδηγηθέντες ἐπὶ λιμένα θελήματος αὐτοῦ· ἐφ' οἷς ὁ λόγος ἀναγκαίως προστάττει τέταρτον οὕτω τὸ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ τὰ ἐλέη αὐτοῦ διὰ στόματος φέρειν· παρεγγυᾷ πᾶσί τε τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπαγγέλλειν τὰ θαυμάσια αὐτοῦ. Ἔθετο ποταμοὺς εἰς ἐρήμωσιν, καὶ ἐξόδους ὑδάτων εἰς δίψαν, γῆν καρποφόρον εἰς ἅλμην ἀπὸ κακίας τῶν κατοικούντων ἐν αὐτῇ. 23.1328 Ἔθετο ἔρημον εἰς λίμνας ὑδάτων, γῆν ἄνυδρον εἰς διεξόδους ὑδάτων. Καὶ κατῴκισεν ἐκεῖ πεινῶντας, καὶ συνεστήσαντο πόλεις κατοικεσίας. Καὶ ἔσπειραν ἀγροὺς καὶ ἐφύτευσαν ἀμπελῶνας, καὶ ἐποίησαν καρπὸν γεννήματος. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐπληθύνθησαν σφόδρα, καὶ τὰ κτήνη αὐτῶν οὐκ ἐσμίκρυνεν. Καὶ ὠλιγώθησαν καὶ ἐκακώθησαν ἀπὸ θλίψεως κακῶν καὶ ὀδύνης. Ἐξεχύθη ἐξουδένωσις ἐπ' ἄρχοντας αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπλάνησεν αὐτοὺς ἐν ἀβάτῳ, καὶ οὐχ ὁδῷ. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ πλῆθος τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους εἰς τοσαύτην ἤλασεν ἀγαθῶν σπάνιν, ὡς ὀλίγους εὑρίσκεσθαι ἐν αὐτοῖς τοὺς κατὰ Θεὸν εὐδοκιμοῦντας. Καὶ τὸ μὲν πᾶν ἔθνος ταύτην ὑπέμεινε τὴν πρόῤῥησιν· οἱ δ' ἐν αὐτοῖς ἄρχοντες, πατριάρχαι τινὲς καὶ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ νομοδιδάσκαλοι, Σαδδουκαῖοί τε καὶ Γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι αἰσχύνην κατεχέαντο, ἐξουδενώσει παραδοθέντες· ἅτε δὴ κληθέντες ἐπὶ τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδὸν καὶ παραιτησάμενοι αὐτήν. Καὶ ἐβοήθησε πένητα ἐκ πτωχείας. Καὶ ἐν τούτοις συνήθως ὁ Σύμμαχος ἐξέδωκεν εἰπών· Καὶ ὀχυρώσει πένητα ἀπὸ κακώσεως. Ἐκείνοις μὲν γὰρ ἔσται τὰ προδηλωθέντα, φησί· τὸν δὲ πένητα λαὸν ὀχυρώσει· τὸν ἐξ ἐθνῶν δηλαδὴ συστησόμενον· ὃν καὶ μακαρίζων ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ἔλεγε· Μακάριοι οἱ πτωχοὶ τῷ πνεύματι, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν. Καὶ